Mandel-Brown second debate: Recap of main issues

COLUMBUS -- Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Josh Mandel, the Ohio Treasurer,debated Thursday night in Columbus,the second of their three campaign debates.

As in the previous in Cleveland, the two traded insults throughout the one-hour debate,held on the campus of Nationwide Insurance Headquarters.

Brown and Mandel sparred over federal bailouts at the beginning of the second debate.

Mandel, the 35-year-old state treasurer from Lyndhurst, called the 2008 bailout spearheaded under then-GOP President George Bush "fiscally irresponsible and morally wrong."

Brown, 59, of Avon, criticized Mandel for failing to support the auto bailout that was connected to 800,000 Ohio jobs. Mandel suggested viewers of the Columbus debate to "type in Google Translate" to understand Brown's "Washingtonspeak."

He said Brown has a poor record on small business and unemployed Ohioans need someone new.

Brown, a Democrat, said he's won the endorsements of many Ohio newspapers because Mandel has held four offices in seven years and can't be trusted to show up to work.

Mandel called Brown "a liar."

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett was quick with his assessment of the debate performance only minutes after the debate concluded.

"Josh Mandel was strong and direct and his enthusiasm made us all proud Republicans tonight. He was quick to pounce on Senator Brown for anything he said that wasn't true."

"Senator Brown supported policies that brought us booming debt and deep deficits and people in Ohio are ready to replace him with a leader. Mandel's leadership puts economic growth above partisan politics and working families and small businesses above political special interest groups."

"Josh Mandel is a proven leader and offers a change from Senator Brown's vicious cycle of spending and debt. He knows that borrowing from China is no way to secure our children's financial future. That's why we must change Washington by changing the people we send there."

Brown's campaign also was quick with its assessment of the debate. It released the following statement minutes after the debate ended:

"Ohioans got another taste of the real Josh Mandel tonight, the "cartoon candidate" who vehemently opposed the auto rescue, who opposes Sherrod's bipartisan bill to level the playing field for American workers by cracking down on Chinese currency manipulation, who has touted fake accomplishments in the Ohio Treasurer's office while blowing off work and hiring unqualified staff and who has been called the "Pants on Fire crown" wearer by Politifact Ohio."

"Just weeks after his swearing in, Josh Mandel began traveling across the country and abroad, shirking his official duties so he could pursue the only job he truly cares about - the next one up the ladder. He broke his pledge to serve his full four-year term as treasurer and blew off every single meeting of the billion-dollar Board of Deposit during his first year in office."

"He campaigned furiously against cronyism during his 2010 campaign for treasurer, broke his campaign promise to Ohioans by hiring unqualified political cronies and friends in the Treasurer's office and has since promised to take those cronies with him to Washington."

"Like the "cartoon candidate" he is, Josh Mandel spent tonight's debate reciting poll-tested 60-second sound bites that he's spent the entirety of his ongoing term as Treasurer perfecting. And like the last debate, his responses were devoid of all substance."

"The choice in this election could not be clearer -- Sherrod Brown fought to rescue the auto industry, helping to protect nearly 850,000 Ohio jobs. Josh Mandel called Sherrod "un-American" for doing so. Sherrod led passage in the Senate of the largest bipartisan jobs bill of 2011, a bill that would protect American manufacturers by cracking down on Chinese currency manipulation. Josh Mandel opposes it."

"Sherrod Brown will protect Social Security and Medicare for our seniors. Josh Mandel supports a draconian budget that would slash both programs. Only one candidate in this race can be trusted to fight for Ohio jobs, and that candidate is Senator Sherrod Brown."